Hikes said her office is working with LGBTQ nonprofits that are interested in restructuring their bylaws to promote representation. “We cannot expect to represent a diversity of experiences and viewpoints when marginalized populations do not have a seat at the table,” said Amber Hikes, the executive director of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs. When asked what can be done about it, Owens said the Gayborhood needs to stop hiring exclusively within white social circles and recruit the qualified and talented black members of the city. “Simply put, the Gayborhood nonprofit leadership do not reflect the community it serves,” said Owens. “Simply put, the Gayborhood nonprofit leadership do not reflect the community it serves.” According to the city’s Department of Health, black Philadelphians are contracting HIV at higher rates than any other racial group. These nonprofits receive funding from the city and outside grants to address issues particular to the LGBTQ community, such as HIV. Yet while Philadelphia has a large African American population (43 percent), many nonprofit boards in the Gayborhood are primarily composed of white members. It also has a thriving collection of nonprofit organizations working on LGBTQ advocacy issues. The Gayborhood is more than a home to a vibrant bar scene. “The law needs to fit the severity of the crime and be more than a slap on the wrist.” “Discrimination is a serious event,” he said. Owens is a queer black man who has written about his experience with segregation in the Gayborhood and what he thinks might be done to address it. “We felt this was a stronger piece of legislation offering a bigger penalty if any business happens to be discriminating against members of our city or anyone visiting,” said Green.Įrnest Owens said he believes stronger legislation like the amendment is necessary. It’s the type of ordinance the city can use to order the owners of bars like iCandy to cease operations.Ĭouncilman Derek Green sponsored the amendment. “The law needs to fit the severity of the crime.”
The legislation will strengthen the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations’ authority to order the temporary closure of a business should the commission find it has been unlawfully discriminating. On Thursday, Mayor Jim Kenney signed an amendment to a city ordinance that will penalize discriminatory businesses. Here are three ways these groups are working to make LGBTQ spaces more inclusive in Philadelphia. Today, local LGBTQ organizations, city officials, and activists are working to address the discrimination that’s persisted through the decades. A visit to any of our bars will confirm this sad fact.” The report said that “racism and sexism live on in Philadelphia’s lesbian and gay community. Gayborhood racism was first officially reported in a May 1986 publication produced by the Coalition on Lesbian-Gay Bar Policies.
The event became a tipping point that led to a commission hearing where numerous Philadelphians reported discriminatory policies being applied to patrons of color in Philadelphia’s downtown gay neighborhood, called the Gayborhood by locals.
In Philadelphia, for example, the issue received attention when a video surfaced in September showing the white owner of a popular nightclub called iCandy using the N-word repeatedly in reference to the nightclub’s black customers. Yet that safety and sanctuary are not always extended to people of color, who can experience discrimination, racism, and exclusion in LGBTQ spaces. In major cities like Philadelphia, the gay-friendly bar scene serves as a safe haven and sanctuary for members of the LGBTQ community. It’s a reminder that progress toward greater inclusivity requires Philadelphia to offer more than symbols. Mixed reactions to the city’s new flag reveal the change is not fully embraced by everyone. The city’s new flag reveal the change is not fully embraced by everyone. The flag was created by the Philadelphia Office of LGBT Affairs’ More Color, More Pride campaign and is meant to symbolize the city’s inclusion of people of color in the LGBTQ community.
#Gay flag gif image update#
For Pride Month, the city of Philadelphia unveiled a new official pride flag giving the rainbow an inclusive update by adding black and brown stripes.